TALK-TRUTH: Accurate and Reliable

HOST communities of Oil Mining Lease, OML25, in Kula Kingdom, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, Offoin-Ama, Ngeje and Belema Communities, have urged the Rivers State Governor to concentrate on his constitutional responsibilities, give attention to rule of law and concentrate on giving quality leadership to the state. The communities had urged the governor to concentrate on his constitutional responsibilities similarly urged the Federal Government to caution the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, to shun actions that can cause crisis in the oil community. The communities spoke on Tuesday at a joint press conference in Port Harcourt addressed by leaders of the host communities of OML-25; Belema, Offoin-Ama and Ngeje, following a circular issued by the Rivers State Government titled ‘stakeholders meeting on OML-25.’ Chief Fiala David-Okoye, who addressed the press on behalf of the communities, stated that it is out of place for the governor to organize a meet...

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, revealed that members of the National Youth Service Corps would as well benefit from the new minimum wage of N30,000. The minister disclosed this via his official Twitter handle. Dare, however, stated that the NYSC Director General, Brig Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim would provide details of the new allowance after he has been briefed by the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Youth and Social Development. He tweeted on wednesday, “Next week the DG NYSC will provide details of the new ‘allowee’ for the Youth Corp members after full briefing from the Ministries of Finance And MYSD.” Following the agreement between the Federal Government and Organised Labour on Friday on the consequential adjustment, which had been a point of discussion for months after the FG had on April 18, 2019 agreed to pay N30,000 as the new minimum wage, corps members will be beneficiaries.  However, On Wednesday, the Federal Executive Council m...

Sen. Ahmad Lawan, the Chairman of the National Assembly, has said that the assembly would ensure the passage of the 2020 Appropriation Bill of N10.33 trillion in December. Lawan disclosed this at the two-day Joint National Budget Hearing on the 2020 Appropriation Bill in the National Assembly Complex on Wednesday. The President, Muhammadu Buhari had on Oct. 8, 2019, presented the budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly as he charged the legislators to change the present budget cycle to January-December. “We have set between the two chambers; and we have resolved that this time around, we must pass this budget before the end of Dec. ” We are hopeful that the budget will be passed before we go on Christmas break by God’s grace. ” And of course, I am glad to say that President Buhari had shown commitment to what the national assembly desires. “This was seen when the government issued a statement asking ministers and heads of agencies not to travel with...

THE Federal Government of Nigeria has expressed satisfaction with the quality of work and the pace at which the remediation process in impacted communities of Ogoni in Rivers State has been carried out by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP. The Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, spoke on Friday, during his first on-the-spot assessment tour of the polluted sites undergoing remediation in Ogoniland. Speaking, Abubakar reiterated FG’s commitment to the cleanup of Ogoniland, adding that he was impressed with the pace at which the work is progressing. The Minister noted that the clean up was a mirage before President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office, urging people of the area to give the administration and HYPREP the required support to ensure success of the project. He said: “History is being made today. The issue of Ogoni cleanup has been a mirage for the longest time until the coming of President Mohammadu Buhari who promised to cleanup Ogoni and...

THE Nigerian Senate on Tuesday confirmed the 43 Ministerial Nominees forwarded to it for screening, confirmation and onward presentation for assignment of portfolios by President Muhammadu Buhari, as Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. However, the senate charged the confirmed nominees to be prepared to work in synergy with the Upper Chamber and exhibit a relationship that would be based on mutual respect and truth for the development of the nation. The Upper Chamber further vowed that, while it would not be frivolous, it would ensure that it became serious and stiff in its oversight in the course of its assignment. President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, after confirmation of the nominees, described budget implementation in the country as ‘chaos and in Tatters’. Lawan noted that as Senate prepares to face the issues of budget that the Upper Chamber expects that the 2020 appropriation bill gets to National Assembly by the end of September or by the firs...

THE Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal has dismissed the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Progressive Party, PPP, Mr. Clifford Edanuko against the re-election victory of Governor Nyesom Wike.  It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared Governor Wike re-elected after he polled 886,264 votes to win the candidate of the African Alliance Congress, AAC, Biokpomabo Awara who pulled 173,859 votes.  However, when the tribunal resumed, Tuesday (July 30, 2019), the Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice J.A. Orjiako, dismissed the petition, noting that Governor Wike was duly re-elected.  Counsel for the petitioner, K. Otehi had based on the instruction of the petitioner moved a motion to withdraw the petition before the Tribunal.  In an affidavit filed before the Tribunal, Otehi said that the petitioner sought to withdraw the petition so that gove...